I did a hawk walk and was fascinated by them but the training/certicfaction plus space needed was a lot. It would probably be worth it though!Sounds like a similar situation to what I have going on here. I've got gerbils coming out my ears practically. My hawk bait gerbils mated and have been having babies continually since last year. They make a decent back up food source for my Harris's hawks for when the stock in my freezer starts to run a little low. Also good training for young hawks that have never caught anything. Always feel a little guilty about feeding them, but the hawks have to eat too. Its just what happens when you deal with obligate predators that don't do manufactured food well. Last weekend we went out and caught 2 wild voles and Frisbee was on the fast track to grabbing a couple wild mice before I called him down. Always nice when he catches his own food, but he still needs to eat on days I can't fly him. Plus, with wild mice, there is always a shadow of concern over rodenticide exposure. I just spent $216 having a bunch of frozen mice shipped to me. Ought to last 2 Harris's hawks most of the winter depending on how many rabbits and wild critters they catch.
I had one gerbil that my ball python rejected several years ago that lived to be 4 years old as a classroom pet. Lucky her that the snake ended up dying and I didn't have any other predators at the time.
Yeah Munch got insanely lucky that I had fed everyone else already and I don’t overfeed so no one was getting extra food that day.
Not only are you hypocrite but you can’t even keep your word to stay off my threads...I disagree. The ship has not sailed. Snakes, unlike dogs and cats are not so domesticated that they can't be allowed back into their native habitat. In fact, they are not domesticated at all. The big ones look at us as a potential meal and nothing more. I have read so many horror stories regarding large snakes, usually involving children. In most states it is illegal to own one. And we are talking about SIXTY snakes here!
Let me ask a question. What's the difference from owning a large python to owning a tiger?
If you really want to help snakes than get on your state legislator to pass a bill prohibiting the selling and buying of snakes in your state. Buying them only adds to the problem.
I could be wrong but I doubt that tortoises, lizards, and birds kill small children. Snakes get poached just like certain parrots have been. It was wrong with regards to the parrots and it is wrong with the snakes too.
Now I am going to get off my soapbox. The author has made her point, and I have made mine.
Snakes cannot be returned. They have been exposed to captive animals that can harbor disease and parasites and other fun stuff that can destroy native wildlife. So any laws will just be death sentences to captive animals. Which I’m not sure you really care about so there’s that at least. Plus, you won’t be fixing anything, illegal trade and worse conditions will just be the go to instead for people. Laws on large constrictors were in play but were thrown out in court after a long legal battle. There are no longer federal laws on interstate commerce for these animals. Just to tell you the laws did squat anyway. You could still see a lot of people doing whatever they wanted and no one was really enforcing the law.
There are very few cases of large constrictors killing people in the states and there are a lot of large constrictors in the states. If they were as dangerous as you believe you’d be hearing a whole lot more stories. One of the ones I remember were drug addict parents that didn’t even have a lid on the really inadequate tank. They hadn’t fed it in a very long time because you know drug money was more important but hey. Comparatively you really should be asking dogs to be made illegal instead.
Now do at least try to keep your word this time.
I don’t feed live. I’m a frozen feeder and only have one live eater that won’t convert. Which means the rats will be ethuanized humanely before being frozen. All I have to say on this front is that I hope at the very least anyone arguing against live feeding is vegan.I am not a snake Person at all, but I can appreciate them. When I was a kid, my Brother had a snake room, and bred his rats and mice for them. He left for college and they were given to a Zoo in NY. As for the controversy of feeding them the live food, not for me at all. I used to hate working in a pet store and People came in for feeder mice, rats, pinkies hated it all. I am glad you have an interest in them, but as an animal lover of warm blooded species that aren't reptilian I will stick to cute and fuzzy, feathered and fins!
I would NEVER sell a rabbit or guinea pig for food EVER. That was me too bad. As for the babies, I told People we are out of pinkies so they couldn't kill the wee little ones.
I know that snakes that are large will eat larger things............I cringe upon free ads for puppies and kittens because in many cases they meet this fate. I wish they didn't have to eat live things in captivity.
My story, the end.
I love my rats too but I’m not so removed from the cycle of life/death that it bothers me. Sure I wouldn’t want my personal pets to be food but only because they are my pets.
So all I’m hearing on the not selling front is that you would rather a snake starve to death slowly than the relatively quick death of the fuzzy animal. I do think live feeding rabbits is stupid if they will take frozen but only because rabbits can inflict some insane damage.
I know not a single snake keeper that will feed puppies or kittens. This is only a worry people have because a few jerks thought it amusing to record such an event. But those jerks will always exist and honestly dog fighting is a greater worry there. The quality (health/diet/cleanliness) of feeders that most people pay a lot of money for is much higher than some random Craigslist animal.